


What's A Bug To Do?

by orphan_account



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, I am impatient, Pining, Set in America, Slow Burn, Sort Of, bc idk france!! im american
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-22 05:57:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12474976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's been years since Hawkmoth was defeated. The only sign Chat Noir and Ladybug are still around is their nightly patrols. Now, Adrien and Marinette are both 19, and life is getting more chaotic despite no longer risking their lives on a regular basis.Marinette is thrilled- her designs have recently been featured in New York Fashion Week, and she's enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology. All that is missing is love of the romantic variety. Chat has started acting strange during their nightly visits, and she's not sure why, but she's determined to find out.Adrien has it all- steady modeling gigs, a beautiful girlfriend in the form of Chloé, and an academic scholarship to Columbia. By all counts, he should be blissfully happy. Somehow, he's not, and his budding feelings for Ladybug are only growing...





	1. When in Doubt, Patrol One Out

The sunset was red and hot over the high rises and skyscrapers. Chat reclined in the grass, letting the warmth tickle his face as he took a quick cat nap. Ladybug was late, again, and despite his happy relationship with Chloé, his heart twinged with pain. Since Hawkmoth's defeat, they'd been slowly losing contact. University was hard on him and he was sure she had her own problems to deal with. Still, it hurt to know that the little bug that had been his fast friend and first crush since high school was now distant from him. He opened his phone and tapped out a quick message to Chloé.

 

Ladybug giggled behind him. "Talking to someone special?" she teased. Chat dropped his phone in his panic to hide the screen, blushing behind his mask. "Uhh, Milady! You're here!" he bowed in an over exaggerated manner, kissing her fingertips lightly. Ladybug tapped on his bell, delighting in the jingle it made and the irritated way Chat straightened while she silently teased him. "Are we going on patrol or what?" Chat rolled his eyes. "It's all business with you!"

His voice was light and joking but his eyes were sad. He missed his friend, who always asked about his day and told him about obscure coffee shops and run down old movie theaters that only played 90s musicals when he was feeling down. He missed the twinkle in her eye when she spit out sassy one liners at the people who had been akumatized. He missed the way she groaned when he contributed one of his lame puns. 

Ladybug turned to look behind her, at him. The setting sun was a halo on her dark hair, and she wore one of her signature smiles. “You coming, kitty? It’s not the same without you.”

A ping stopped Chat from responding.

 

Chloé was a jealous girlfriend, but they’d been together for three years, ever since they were only sixteen. He sent back a quick heart and clicked his phone shut. “On my way, bugaboo!”

—

Above all else, Marinette was lonely. Her life was great- excellent friends, amazing opportunities, supportive family. Something was missing, though. She used to think she could find what she needed in Adrien, her high school classmate, a big time model who was sweet and down to earth despite his notoriety, but Chloé managed to talk him into a date, and they’d been together ever since. By all counts, they were a happy couple. Not even the trashiest of tabloids could find a flaw in their relationship. Adrien had even gotten Chloé a few modeling gigs alongside him. Marinette knew there were plenty of men and women in New York that were single and would love to date her, but none came close to Adrien.

Not even Chat Noir.

—

Ladybug parted from Chat the usual way, with him kissing her fingertips like a butterfly’s wings beating against her skin and her tapping on the bell on his collar. The act was somehow both detached and intimate- just going through the motions, yes, but Chat’s lips tickling her knuckles, and Marinette’s hand brushing his throat, the sun almost all gone beyond the horizon, the faintest glow illuminating their faces. They never spoke during it, just heavy breaths from their races through the rooftops and pulses beating a mile a minute.

She shed her disguise once she was out of sight, Tikki fluttering in front of her face. “You’re hopeless!” the big headed ladybug said, throwing her hands up.

Ladybug, now just Marinette, laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I know I need to study, there hasn’t been trouble for years, Chat can handle one night of solo patrol, blah blah blah. Sorry, I love being Ladybug. I don’t want to give it up until I have to.”

Tikki sat on her shoulder and leaned onto her neck. “I know.” she flew into Marinette’s purse to hide as someone turned onto the street they stood in. “Not what I meant.” she said, grumpily, her voice muffled completely by the fabric. When would Marinette stop shoving her scrap fabric from projects in here?


	2. Fighting Like Chats and Dogs

“I just don’t understand why you don’t seem to prioritize our relationship, Adrien!” Chloé threw up her hands in distress, stomping around the apartment. Her nostrils were flaring, cheeks flushed. It was 12:35 at night and Adrien had just gotten home, worn out from his patrols.

Chloé was, of course, upset. She was tired of him disappearing in the evenings and returning late at night, weirdly happy. For the past three years she had been devoted to him, and while he was a wonderful boyfriend, he sometimes seemed in his own little world. It was hard for her not to think that he was cheating. He was a famous model, after all, and he had thousands of fans fawning over him wherever he went.

“You mean so much to me, babe.” He started, crossing the living room to pull her close. She pulled away, wrapping her arms around herself as she stared out the window at the sleeping city below. “Are you cheating on me?” she demanded, refusing to look in his eyes.

He didn’t respond. She threw a fierce look at him and stomped into the bedroom. He sputtered, choking on the words. “No, of course not!”

He wasn’t technically lying, but when he thought of Ladybug his heart beat faster and he felt strangely at peace.

Chloé did not stick around to respond. She grabbed her suitcase and began throwing her clothes in by the fistful, angry tears streaming down her symmetrical, perfectly made up face.

To its credit, her mascara did not run.

Adrien just stood and watched as she snapped it shut, grabbed her heels in one hand, and stalked out the door. He watched her storm down the hall, turning into an empty storage room, likely to fix her hair and outfit before she left the apartment complex. She may be upset, her heart possibly aching, but she cared about appearances. She wouldn’t let the paparazzi and the tabloids get wind of this until she could find a way to make it benefit her.

He sent a text.

She didn’t respond.

He sighed and turned to Plagg. “What am I supposed to do? She’s my girlfriend! She’s, well, she’s my soulmate isn’t she? Isn’t she?”

Plagg blinked. “Is she?”

Adrien found himself unable to answer. Upset, exhausted, and stressed out, he fell onto his bed and slept fitfully, his dreams full of small insects with soft smiles and and his heart being pierced by swords.


	3. Alya Got To Do Is Listen

It was no secret that Alya Cesaire knew all of the secrets that mattered in the circles she ran in- and she ran in many circles. Her blog and friends gave her access to photographers, models, designers, celebrities, basically anyone who was anyone.

So when Alya told Marinette that Adrien and Chloé were having relationship problems, Marinette had no reason to disbelieve her. Alya did not get the response she hoped for, though.

Had she said this back in high school, Marinette would have fallen off her chair, spat out her coffee, and begun stuttering and begging Alya to help her.

Instead, Marinette merely leaned back, took a sip of coffee, and raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” She shrugged and turned on the radio. “That’s a shame.”

This was not how Marinette felt- deep down, she was thrilled by this development, which made her feel guilty since she didn’t want Adrien to be feeling poorly, but, well, she’d been in love with him for years. She wanted another chance.

However, Alya had insisted when they graduated that she get over her crush, so she tried to. She pushed it down and focused on college and on Ladybug and Chat Noir. Something was off about that cat recently, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Alya blinked. “Don’t give me that act, girl! We just need to arrange for you to casually bump into him and then you two can hit it off!” her smile and eyes were big, mind hard at work calculating how she could arrange this, but Marinette just shook her head.

“If it’ll happen between us it’ll happen without me forcing it. I don’t want to spend time chasing someone who has no feelings for me, okay?”

She stared at her roommate, who narrowed her eyes. “Since when did you start taking the high road.” her expression was intense and judgmental. Marinette felt her face heat up and struggled to answer, until Alya burst out laughing. “You’re probably right.”

—

Ladybug sat on a rock ledge, kicking small stones with her feet. A muffled thump indicated she’d hit something soft. She looked up into the glowing green eyes of Chat Noir.

“Kitty cat!” her mouth widened into a bright smile as he sat down next to her. “Couldn’t leave my bug all alone!” he responded, by way of greeting.

It was mid afternoon, no reason for Chat to have arrived. She was in a secluded area just outside of the city, empty and quiet. How did he find her?

“You pocket dialed me.” he laughed, reading the question in her face. Ladybug blushed and picked up her polka dotted phone, scrolling through recent calls. “Oh.”

She had, indeed, pocket dialed him, and hadn’t noticed when she’d set her phone down beside her. This still didn’t explain why he’d decided to find her, but she decided not to ask. Instead, she settled for picking up a small, smooth pebble and pelting at him playfully.

He fell to the ground, an over the top display of hurt. “Milady! You have struck me down!” he whined.

She giggled.

Chat straightened up, his face serious and eyes stoney. “My girlfriend, she’s going to break up with me, I think. What do I do?” he sounded miserable. Ladybug didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed it before.

She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Chat.” Somehow, it hadn’t occurred to her that he had a life outside of her. As soon as she thought it, it made no sense- she had her own life, why would he be any different? “I’ve never dated. Well, I’ve been on dates, but never had a boyfriend. So I can’t really help, but maybe you should talk to her. I know someone who could give you advice though, my friend Aly-“ she stopped herself. She was rambling again, and almost gave something away. “Uhh, but you don’t want to listen to me yapping. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

He shook his head then leaned to one side and rested it atop hers.

Ladybug couldn’t resist. “Does she know about you being Chat Noir?”

He just sighed, staring off into the distance.

“I’ll take that as a no.” she said, more for her own benefit than his. For some reason she was pleased to know that his girlfriend didn’t know about his secret identity. It made her feel important.

She grabbed his hand and laced it with hers, rubbing her thumb over the gloved skin. “It’s going to hurt, a lot, but it might end up being for the best. You’ll meet someone better.”

Her little black cat removed his head and looked into her eyes, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Someone like you?”

“Oh, no.” she was quick to say. “Someone much better, who isn’t clumsy and always has a comeback and definitely has never fallen flat on her face in front of an akuma.”

Chat’s shoulders sagged, which she thought was a weird reaction, but she chalked it up to stress.

The sun had begun to succumb to the night, shading the sky a brilliant gold. The two of them sat together on the bench, unmoving, until the sun was gone and both were sound asleep.

Oops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yoo sorry the chapters are so short but i promise this will be long and ill update at least 2x a week so forgive me.


	4. Alya's Fair In Love and War

By the time Adrien managed to crawl out of bed, it was midday. The apartment was empty without Chloé’s presence, her easy laughter in the morning when he woke her up, her walking around the apartment in one of his shirts drinking coffee, her obsessively watching America’s Next Top Model and making side comments the entire time. She had brought a level of energy to the apartment that Adrien alone simply couldn’t.

The place felt barren and deserted, in muted colors. He cracked three eggs into a pan, scrambling them over the heat. His hair was messy from sleep and keeping his eyes open was a challenge. The buzz of his phone distracted him.

 

He sighed.

 

He didn’t respond, instead continuing to make his eggs, pausing only to pour a glass of orange juice, setting it down on the table. He scraped his eggs off onto a plate and salted them. He always loved making his own eggs. The repetitive motions were soothing.

He sat on the table cross legged, eating his food and scrolling through his messages. There was one from Alya, timestamped three hours ago.

He smiled and sent back a thumbs up, then click his phone off and crawled back into bed.

He’d face the world another day.

—

Chloé had been in the spotlight since a young age, even more so once she started dating Adrien. She had not, however, had to deal with being slandered in the papers. She decided she did not like it, not one bit.

One day had been just long enough for people to connect her, leaving the apartment in a hurry late at night, with Adrien missing a photoshoot and not leaving his apartment.

The tabloids were splashed with colorful headlines, claiming things like “Chloé’s hidden pregnancy tears lovers apart” and “Adrien under lock and key by tyrannical girlfriend”

She threw her phone across the room.

Then, she went to pick it up, because it was expensive and she didn’t want to break it.

For once, Chloé realized she was alone.

She knew she was demanding. She knew she was a perfectionist. She knew liked to intimidate people. What she didn’t realize was how her behaviors were pushing people away- her quickness to judge, her unwillingness to listen, her refusal to calm down and think rational.

She had reason to believe Adrien was cheating on her. She also had reason to not believe that. She hadn’t listened to him. She didn’t have solid evidence but she had assumed her boyfriend of three years would just decide to have an affair.

Chloé did not like being alone.

She wanted to grow and become better.

To do that, she realized, she would have to break up with Adrien. He kept her stuck in the past, making it difficult for her to change from the terror she was in high school to someone she actually liked.

Like any sensible person would do in this situation or any situation, she texted Alya.

__

_Alya texted back immediately._

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip y'all i just finished finals. dont take AP classes you will cry during the exams :/
> 
> but expect at least one more chapter before Tuesday!


	5. Cat On A Mission

Alya did not plan on having back to back meetings with Adrien and Chloé but her schedule was packed, so it had to happen. She was off at the coffeeshop three blocks from their apartment, while Marinette was at home, waiting eagerly for her best friend to slip away to the bathroom to give her the inside scoop.

While she waited, she debated the pros and cons of texting Chat on her “work” phone. It resided safely in a secret pocket of her purse, where no one would find it- or so she hoped. The thought of him hurting made her feel awful. He was one of her closest friends.

The buzz surprised her- she dropped the phone onto the floor in her panic.

How could she refuse?

She went.

—

Alya sipped her coffee, boring a level stare into Adrien’s eyes, waiting for him to speak.

“I just don’t understand what I did wrong!” He nearly shouted it. Dark circles lines his eyes like bruises. His lip was bleeding from anxiously picking at the skin. By all accounts, he was a mess, and he did not bother to hide this. If the paparazzi was here, they’d have a field day, but he didn’t care.

For the first time, Adrien had officially given up.

In Alya’s defense, she tried to broach the situation delicately, she really did. “Well where were you that night?”

His shoulders sagged, like gravity was trying to pull him into the earth. “None of your business.” he responded, sipping from his coffee cup. He sputtered, the hot liquid burning his tongue. Sullenly, he sat back against his chair and crossed his arms, looking into the distance.

He was really testing her patience, but she was really testing his. “Adrien, were you cheating on her?”

He tightened his hands into fists. “Of course not! I would never! It’s just-“ he shut his mouth.

Alya leaned forward, silently willing him to finish his sentence.

“It’s just that she’s my first and only girlfriend. How do I know we’re soulmates? I met this girl, and she’s wonderful, way out of my league actually. I’ve known her for years but… deeper feelings have started to surface. I’m not sure what to do.”

She started to open her mouth, but he got up and left, storming out of the coffeeshop.

He shot off a text to Ladybug and headed straight for Central Park. He was going to tell her who he was.


	6. Chat About Town

He was going to tell her- he really was. He had fully committed to this plan, but something happened to throw him off course.

He was running to Central Park, Plagg bouncing around in his chest pocket, when he bumped into Ladybug. She grabbed him by the wrist, preventing him from falling. “Watch your step, Agreste!” she smiled brightly, pulling him to his feet.

He ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Ladybug.” she waved him off. “No worries!”

She glanced around, examining each park inhabitant carefully. He remembered his texts. “Looking for someone?”

She nodded. “Chat asked me to meet him here. I’m not sure where he is, though. He’s always running late so I’m not worried, but, well… Nevermind.”

He winced. Was he really always late? He made a mental note to start being on time more. “Oh, I’m sure he’s around. Gotta go! Good luck.”

Adrien turned to leave, but she grabbed his arm. “Why don’t you wait with me?” Her smile was so sweet and her eyes so bright that he could not bring himself to leave. He smiled back and nodded, sitting down next to her.

The leaves on the trees were just barely turning to a pale green-yellow, the air beginning to turn crisp with the first hints of fall.

Fall had always been Adrien’s favorite season. School started in fall, and he got to escape from his loneliness at home by surrounding himself with his friends and classmates. Begrudgingly, his father would see him off, waving from the front door as Adrien got into Nathalie’s car.

His father.

What would Ladybug think if she knew her friend and partner was the son of Hawkmoth?

How could she even stand Adrien?

Hawkmoth had been their enemy for years, causing evil and chaos in their city, forcing them to save the day, and all that time he’d been living with Adrien.

He wondered if Hawkmoth even knew that his son was Chat Noir. He certainly hadn’t told him, content to let him rot in prison for the rest of his life.

Ladybug poked his shoulder. “Something on your mind?” she said, scrutinizing his expression. He laughed. “Just thinking about how Chat is a fool to stand you up.” She broke into a smile, but her eyes were sad and disappointed.

Somehow, he had to get out of here without hurting her feelings, and come back as Chat. He couldn’t stand to see his lady upset.

“It’s not the first time. I’m sure he has an excuse.”

Again, he winced. He hadn’t meant to be a bad sidekick, but he was anyways.

Scrambling to his feet, he turned to Ladybug. “I’m so sorry, I really must go now, I’m late for a, uh, doctor’s appointment.”

Ladybug shrugged. What was up with him? Thankfully she didn’t have time to dwell on it, as Chat was barreling towards her dangerously fast.

He slammed into her, and they collapsed in a tangle of red and black. She giggled, despite the wind being crushed out of her. “There’s my kittycat!”

“Milady!”

They stared at each other for a few seconds in complete silence, until they remembered the position they were in, and scrabbled to sit normally.

Red peeked out from under Chat’s mask, coloring his cheeks. Ladybug’s heart beat faster. Their fingers brushed.

—

Meanwhile, Alya was having a strange conversation with Chloé. Fully made up in Sephora and Prada, she sat primly in her seat, drinking a chai tea latte.

To an outsider, she looked every bit the same girl as she had always been. Alya was not a stranger, however, and saw through the carefully constructed facade. Chloé was struggling, and if you looked closely you could see the subtle tells.

Her lipstick was a few shades darker than usual, a sign that she had merely grabbed the first tube in her bathroom drawer. Chloé never drank coffee with sugar, as she preferred cream, but several granules of it littered the lid of her cup.

For a normal person, this was nothing- barely worth paying attention to. For Chloé, who had always had to be picture perfect her entire life, this was a sign of disaster.

Alya was at least speechless. No clever quip came to mind, nor a gentle platitude. She knew Chloé was capable of looking human rather than like a billboard model, but she had never expected to see it.

Chloé’s nails tap-tap-tapped nervously against the table, her manicure chipping from the force.

“I… Need your help.” Her face was so human- the slight chip on one of her front teeth, the asymmetric nose, the way her eyes were two slightly different colors.

Before her was a person Alya could actually stand. She motioned for her to continue.

“I’m breaking up with Adrien.” Alya’s eyes went wide and she choked on her coffee. “That’s… something.”

“Tell me more..?” It was going to be a long day. Alya ordered another macchiato.


End file.
